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29 January 2018

REVIEW: Huawei Band 2 Pro

Your band goes pro

The notion of a fitness tracker has essentially blended with that of a smartwatch these days. Thankfully the smartwatch has seen fit to shrink down to the size of a wrist-worn tracker, meaning wearable tech is so much smaller. One small bit of tech that ticks a lot of bases, both for the fitness freaks and the lovers of convenient smartphone notifications, is the Huawei Band 2 Pro. We check it out.

This thing is slim. Huawei have hit the nail directly on the head by referring to it as a band, as the face itself is no wider than the strap, which is also pretty slim. Therefore the Huawei Band 2 Pro is a sleek and unisex bit of tech with a small portrait display and a single touch-sensitive button. Meanwhile, the strap fastens by the quick and easy press-stud method, but does so in a very reassuring and secure manner.

The headline of this particular tracker over other similar looking and priced devices, is that the Huawei Band 2 Pro features GPS. Paired with the Huawei Wear app, you can record your workout, measure you heart rate, relax and focus on your breathing, and also receive notifications for calls and texts from your phone.

The interface is extremely simple, but also very pleasing to use. You simply tap or swipe over that lower touch button to cycle through the device's menu; selecting the likes of Run, Swim, Cycle, Breathe, or to measure your heart beat. To activate each you long press on the same button and the session will begin, tracking your steps, distance, calories, time and so on. All this data is then automatically synced with the app, presenting your stats to you on a bigger screen.

The app allows you to edit what features appear in the Huawei Band 2 Pro's menu, so if you never swim or run, you can remove those choices, making things simpler and quicker. Oh, and the home screen, which will automatically turn on when you lift your wrist to look at it (and which displays the date and time), also has a running total of your daily steps for a quick glance to check your progress. Nice.

While reviewing the Huawei Band 2 Pro we found the step tracking was very accurate indeed, matching other trackers we tested it against, and also the old 'walk for exactly 50 steps' test. The GPS tracked our location accurately each and every time we started a run (something several of our phones often cocked up), and the notifications were prompt, useful, but very brief. You can't see the contents of a text, for example, just the contact name of the sender. Still useful, though.

Comfortable on, and small enough to sleep in without noticing (it'll also track sleep with Huawei's TruSleep feature), the Huawei Band 2 Pro is a great and subtle mix of activity tracker and smartwatch in a tight and good-locking body. Very decent price, too.

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The Test Pit is a place where all manner of things get tested... often to destruction. Gadgets, technology, toys, and clothing - all are fair game in the Pit. Our reviews are honest, jargon-free, and funny. Well, we try...